This invention relates to a sequential flow washer for photographic prints and films. It is a washer which by its sequential flow pattern through individual compartments washes photographic prints and film placed therein using minimal wash water.
Often prints which have been placed in a photographic print washer are contaminated by subsequent insertion of photographic prints laden with fixer. This may especially be true where resin coated paper prints requiring a short washing period are placed in a washer with previously processed prints.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,990 issued Apr. 25, 1972 teaches a washer for fiber based paper prints with separately spaced washing units whereby the prints were kept separate from each other and simultaneously washed and aerated with relatively large amounts of water. An improvement of this washer is claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,855 issued Jan. 4, 1977. The improvement allowed for washing of resin coated photographic prints without the use of partitions. The fact that no partitions were used, required that a high flow rate be maintained to keep contamination from occurring.
There is a need to more effectively regulate and use photographic wash water, whether in a low flow rate fiber based paper print washer or with higher flow rate resin coated photographic print washers. Yet the conservation and wise use of water should not result in a more contaminated environment for photographic print and film washing.